This invention relates to supercritical fluid extraction and supercritical fluid chromatography.
In supercritical fluid extraction, an extraction vessel is held at a temperature above the critical point and is supplied with fluid at a pressure above the critical pressure. Under these conditions, the fluid within the extraction vessel is a supercritical fluid. In supercritical fluid chromatography, a similar process is followed except that the supercritical fluid moves the sample through a column, separates some of the components of the sample one from the other and removes the components from the column.
Prior art apparatuses for supercritical fluid extraction and supercritical fluid chromatography change samples and collect samples manually. These prior art systems have the disadvantages of: (1) requiring time consuming steps to open the pressurized extraction vessels before use to insert the same and again after use to remove the spent sample; and (2) under some circumstances handling hot extraction vessels.